30 American athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics
By Nick Villano
18. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes
Beach Volleyball
The United States has been a stallworth in beach volleyball for decades. Misty May and Kerri Walsh Jennings were dominant from 2004 until 2012. After Walsh Jennings attempted to win gold with a new partner in 2016 (and settled for bronze), the Americans got back to their golden ways in 2020. Alix Klineman and April Ross won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
This year, there’s a new duo in town. Klineman and Ross were not able to return to competitive volleyball until it was too late (they both became moms, so totally worth it), which is opening the door for Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes. The two recently reunited after dominating the college game at USC. Since then, they’ve been by far the most dominant pairing in the world.
After getting back together in late 2022 (they originally looked for different partners so they could qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, and neither did well), they started winning matches and tournaments in bunches. Since then, Cheng and Hughes have become the dormant pairing on the sand. Now, they are trying to follow in the footsteps of a beach volleyball legacy.
Are we cheating by putting these two together in one? No, because that’s how this sport is played. It is one of the only true team sports at the Olympics. This is largely about celebrating the accomplishments of the individual and the country, but this is a sport in which a player is truly only as good as their weakest link. Between Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, there is no weak link.